Faith that Faces the Fire

And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:11-18)

What do you say when pressure mounts and the heat is turned up? These Hebrew boys found themselves accused, tried, and sentenced by the same people who benefited from their leadership. The truth is that believers need to understand that standing for righteousness often brings resistance. Don’t be surprised if, when you honor God, the world tries to cancel you. That’s precisely what Babylon did. They brought these boys before the authority and demanded they change their ways or face death. These followers of God didn’t hesitate or pause to figure out how to answer the king - they knew what they believed. They simply said, “Bowing to you is not an option.” They understood that no matter what happened, they would stand with God. They believed God would deliver because they trusted in His character.

Practical Application

Don’t lose faith under fire; instead, stand and speak God’s Word.

Psalm 27:2; Job 5:19